16 Handy Hints that Make Doing the Laundry Less of a Hassle

It’s laundry day again! It might not be your favorite day, so check out these tips that will make doing the laundry less of a hassle.

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Family Handyman

Say Goodbye to Wrinkles

Ditch the time-consuming iron or handheld steamer to get wrinkles out of a shirt or slacks. Throw a few ice cubes or a wet washcloth in the dryer with your wrinkled clothes. As the ice melts and the water turns to steam, it will remove the wrinkles. This trick isn’t as effective with heavier clothing but is a miracle for lighter fabrics. The best part is that you don’t have to set the dryer for longer than 10 minutes for it to work. Did you know your dryer could replace your iron?

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Instant Drying Rack

Does your family have a lot of clothes that cannot be put in the drier? Even those collapsible drying racks with several bars for draping wet clothes still aren’t enough for big laundry days. And if you hang wet clothes on top of wet clothes, it lengthens the dry time significantly and can even leave your clothes smelling a little musty.

To fix your air-drying space shortage:

Grab a 1×2 board from your scrap stash in the garage

Trim it to fit across a few joists overhead in your basement laundry room.

Tack it in place with a heavy-duty nail in each joist.

Then you can air-dry several more pieces of clothing using hangers.

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Write Notes on the Washer

Stop shrinking your sweaters! When you put a load of clothes into your washing machine, use a dry-erase marker to note on the lid which items should not go into the dryer. That way, whoever switches the load from the washing machine to the dryer will know which items to leave out for line drying. The enamel finish on most washing machine lids is similar to a whiteboard, and dry-erase markers can be removed easily with a dry paper towel. Be sure to avoid these 10 common laundry mistakes almost everyone makes.

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Wash Bright Colors With Salt

You can use salt to prevent colors from fading. Just toss a teaspoon of salt in with your dark clothes to help make the color last longer. Washing colored clothing inside out can also help maintain color. We bet you didn’t know these 13 other fun facts about salt.

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Pool Noodle Hanger Hack

Add a crease-eliminating pad to your hanger with a pool noodle. We found that smaller-size noodles work better than larger ones for this handy hint. Use a utility knife to cut the noodle to size and then slice it open lengthwise. Then slip the noodle onto the bottom bar of the hanger. The extra padding is perfect for hanging dress pants in your closet. It prevents that dreaded crease, saving you time because you won’t have to iron it out before you can wear the pants.

Paint Stick to Clean Lint Buildup

Even if you empty your dryer’s lint trap before each load, chances are there is still lint buildup around the area that could potentially cause a fire. So it’s important to deep clean the area once in a while, and this handy hint will get the job done. Wrap a clean rag around one end of a paint stir stick. Remove the lint trap and clean out the area with the rag-covered stick. To help the lint stick to the rag, dampen it with water first. Speaking of lint, here’s how to remove pet hair from your clothes and bedding.

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Freeze Your Jeans

If you like to wear your jeans more than once between washings, stick them in the freezer between wears. The frigid air will kill bacteria that can cause odor.

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One Wash Cycle Away from a New Shirt

For a grease stain, turn to white chalk. Just rub the chalk on the stain and the chalk powder absorbs and lifts out the grease, so it’ll come out in the wash. This is how to get rid of the 10 most common foods stains from your clothing.

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Use a Salad Spinner

If you have some articles of clothing you don’t want to put in the dryer, use a salad spinner to remove excess water. Then hang them on a rack to dry.

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Above Units Clothes Storage

Folding hanger rods collapse against the wall when they’re not in use, saving valuable space in tiny rooms. They’re great for wet clothes and sporting gear. The Arrow Hanger single- and double-hanger versions shown are available on Amazon.

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Don’t Just Throw That Lint Away!

To properly build a fire, you need tinder. Fortunately, we all have a readily available supply: dryer lint! Rather than throwing it out give it another use.

How to make these waterproof fire starters:

Stuff each well of an egg carton with dryer lint.

Pour melted wax into each well and let them cool. The wax waterproofs the dryer lint and carton and helps the starter burn longer.

Skinny Laundry Room Cart

A lot of laundry rooms have a narrow wasted space either next to or between the washing machine and dryer, and it’s usually a hideout for socks and lint. To take advantage of this space, build a simple plywood laundry room cart on fixed casters to hold detergents and other laundry supplies. Check out 10 more easy organizing ideas.

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Quick Drying Laundry Hack

Waiting for clothes to dry can be annoying, especially if you’re in a hurry. A solution is to throw in a dry towel with the rest of the wet laundry to speed up the process. Here are 14 things that shouldn’t go in your dryer.

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Clean Your Machine

Your washing machine does need to be cleaned regularly (here’s how). Every couple of months set your washer to the largest load setting and hottest water temperature. Add a quart of white vinegar and a cup of baking soda and let the washer agitate for a minute. Then open the lid or pause the cycle and let the mixture sit for an hour. Scrub any parts, such as the lid, with a toothbrush to remove buildup. After an hour, let the cycle complete and run a second cycle on hot to remove any residue left behind. Your clothes will thank you.